


Changes

by Plumetta



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-19
Updated: 2014-03-19
Packaged: 2018-01-16 08:15:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1338412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plumetta/pseuds/Plumetta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is my AU in which Katniss and Peeta died in the 75th Games.  No revolution, no destruction of District 12.  Haymitch returns and keeps a promise to take care of Prim and her mother.   This is two months after the 75th Games Haymitch dealing with the changes of two womenin his house.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Changes

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own anything the universe belongs to Suzanne Collins.

Prim and her mother had been living with Haymitch about two months. There had been another whipping today she had helped her mother clean the miner up. Whenever they treated someone it was almost guaranteed that Haymitch would have nightmares. 

It was a little after 2A when he started screaming. Prim didn’t have school the next day so she went to her mother’s room. “I got it Mom. I’ll wake him up and give him some tea.

“Are you sure? Her mother asked sleepily.

“Yeah, get some sleep. You have to check on three people in the Seam tomorrow. She opened Haymitch’s door and started banging two pans together which startled him awake. It took him a minute to realize who she was. “Prim, I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to bed.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m going to brew some tea.

“I’m a grown man, I can boil water.

“But you won’t. You’ll just drink more liquor and pass out.

“Either way I’ll be asleep.”

Prim folded her arms. “You can pick me or Mom but she really needs some sleep.

“So do you.

“I don’t have school tomorrow.

“Is that how you decide which one of you pulls the short straw? Haymitch asked.

Prim rolled her eyes. “Do you want your tea up here or downstairs?

“I’ll come down. Just give me a minute.

By the time he came down Prim had two mugs of tea and handed him an oatmeal cookie.

“Why are the two of you always trying to feed me?

“We’re trying to absorb the liquor so you don’t die of alcohol poisoning. Prim said honestly.

He sipped the warm tea and took a bite out of the cookie. “You really can go back to bed.

Prim sat across from him. “What were you dreaming? 

“I don’t remember.”

“You were yelling names. That doesn’t usually happen.

“What names?

“Katniss, Effie, Shanna, 

“Ahhh It was Ladies night. I was probably revisiting their deaths although I never did get to see how they killed Effie. I can only imagine which was worse.

“You and Effie were friends weren’t you?

“About as close as I get to a friend.

“More than friends? Prim asked.

“Sweetheart you know I’m hopelessly smitten with your mother.”

Prim shook her head sadly. “You’re always ready with an answer for the cameras, even when they aren’t around.

He shrugged. “I don’t have a choice. 

‘You do. You could send us back to the Seam.”

Haymitch poured some liquor in his tea. “I know it’s not easy for you living this charade. He sighed. “Your life in the Seam was hard before, now with the fence Gale can’t give you game, he can’t gather the herbs your mother needs for her business. The two of you would starve to death in a few months. I’m not much but I’m a step above starvation.

Prim’s jaw dropped. “Haymitch, I’m not complaining about you. I just meant that you don’t have to live a lie, you choose to for us.

“It’s the least I can do.

Prim’s face flushed with anger. “You didn’t owe Katniss anything. You brought her home the first time, she……we owed you. And you don’t…..you don’t….. she started to cry but she tried to compose herself because she wanted to say it.

“You don’t let us show you how much we appreciate it. Mom and I try to take care of you. Try to make things easier for you and you fight us at every turn.

He held her hand. “Prim, I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing just fine for twenty-five years.

“Just fine? When we first moved in you were unconscious most of the time. You spent two days in a pool of vomit because you had “forbidden” us access to your bedroom.

“A man needs some privacy.”

“To lay in his own waste??? Prim said incredulously “How often did that happen before?

It surprised him that he felt embarrassed. He finally said. “Every year after I come home with the coffins. I go on a bender that I hope I won’t wake up from. Unfortunately I do. Only this year I woke up in a scalding hot shower with your mother trying to scrub every layer of skin off my body. She could have a lucrative career doing body polish in the Capitol.

“When we took the door off the hinges we thought you were dead.”

“I’ve been worse.”

Prim poured him more tea and handed him another cookie “That’s what I’m afraid of. 

“Honey, I’m not that old. I’m sure my liver will hold out until you’re married.

She slammed the pot down. “I can’t believe you said that. First we start this conversation where you think I’m ungrateful and now you’re worried that we’re trying to fatten the goose that lays the golden eggs. Haymitch, if the Capitol stopped paying you tomorrow we would still take care of you. You’re part of our family now. She started to leave the kitchen but he grabbed her arm.

“Okay, it was a bad joke. I’m sorry. I’m not used to people. Give me a break.”

She sat next to him. “Eat another cookie.” She ordered.

They sat quietly for a few minutes then Prim said.

“Sometimes I wish Katniss hadn’t volunteered for me.

He looked at her horrified. “What are you talking about?

“Well, if I had gone, I would have died, but Katniss would still be alive. There would have been no Star Crossed Lovers. Without that there would have been no berries. Cato would be Victor, there wouldn’t have been a Victor Reaping. Snow wouldn’t have changed our Peacekeepers. Things would still be safe and normal here in 12.

“Things would be normal. I would have never succeeded in bringing anyone hope. People wouldn't have realized how bad things really are. There wouldn’t have been any hope at all that things could change.”

“What good is hope when it gets crushed? Prim asked.

He shrugged. “People try and sometimes they fail. Sometimes they succeed.

“Have you ever seen it as bad as this in 12?

“When I was a kid, times were bad like this for a while. Whippings, executions, but people get transferred, it got better.

“Until it got worse.” Prim said.

Yeah, but it doesn’t get better by you being dead. I know that much. He yawned. “I’m tired. What do you put in that tea?

“Trade secret.” Prim said. Are you ready to go upstairs?

“I could sleep at the table, I’ve done it before.

“Yeah, but then we have to wake you up to have breakfast.

“You do that anyway. The two of you are always force feeding me. I should report you to the Capitol for Victor Abuse. He teased.

If you think this is abuse wait until we go through your closet. Our next evil plan is to wash all your clothes.


End file.
